Ones To Watch: Victoria Azarenka

Belarusia's Victoria Azarenka is one of the game's brightest young stars and after a highly impressive year on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, looks all set to continue her rise to the top next season. In January the 18-year-old was barely inside the Top 100, but 12 memorable months later and she sits comfortably inside the Top 30.
 
Although Azarenka is still waiting to lift her maiden Tour title, the past 12 months have been anything but disappointing. In May she achieved the first of several milestones in 2007, by reaching her first ever final in Estoril before coming out second best in a nail-biting contest with Greta Arn. The following six months provided plenty of excitement for the talented teenager, including another runner-up finish in Tashkent and a highly impressive run to the fourth round of the US Open.
 
The first exposure to Azarenka's considerable talents came in 2005, when as a 16-year-old qualifier she made it all the way to the semifinals in Guangzhou, before bowing out to eventual champion Yan Zi. The following year she reached another semifinal, in Tashkent, as well as racking up victories over Top 20 stars, Anastasia Myskina and Nicole Vaidisova. 2007 has seen her add Top 10 stalwarts Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova to her list of conquests and with her undoubted natural ability it is surely only a matter of time until the brilliant Belarusian not only lifts her first piece of silverware, but also makes her way into the elite Top 20.
 
QUICK FACTS:
Date of Birth: July 31, 1989
Current World Ranking: No.29
Singles Titles: 0
Doubles Titles: 1
Career Win-Loss Record: 97-50
2007 Highlights: R-Up (2): Estoril, Tashkent; SF (1): Prague; QF (3): Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Moscow